Mullen's Boston Marathon Comments. Am I missing something?

[Rockydawg]

I have a good friend who turned to running as a means of therapy and recovery. It's safer than any addiction (I get that), but it is another addiction to him. He is in a damn near state of outrage over the CL reporting that Dan Mullen said to his WIFE: "I'm a football coach. I'm so much more mentally tough than all these other people running the race."

Any runners here feel disrespected by that comment? Anybody know someone who found this comment to be insensitive? He's the only one I've seen so far.

I'd like to think I have enough sense to interpret the spirit and not just the letter. Clearly it was a light-hearted conversation between him and Megan. But this dude just won't shut up about it.

 

[aTotal360]

My heart filled with faux outrage when I heard the comments.

 

[Shmuley]

I think it's less about mental toughness and more about being immersed in an environment where physical fitness is a primary focus year round. Hell, he STARTED his training at damn near a half marathon distance back in January. In other words, because of what he does for a living, he has a "base" level of fitness that made it much more conducive for him to ramp up to the marathon distance.

Also, he's an arrogant prick, which is also a prerequisite to be a power 5 head coach.

 

[ronpolk]

I think people look for reasons and stuff to get offended about now... Mullen is certainly more mentally strong than you. Mullen has his head called for by multiple people before the end of the 1st quarter every Saturday in the fall. You got offended by a quote in the newspaper and cried about it on a message board.

 

[Drebin]

Tell your good friend to change his tampon. He's also probably enraged that he can't use the women's restroom or find a $20 bill that doesn't say "In God We Trust." Too many people get offended way too easily.

 

[coach66]

Your friend must be a member of "the offended" generation, they are

Getting a lot of press these days.

 

[PBRME]

Mullen was mentally tough enough to run the marathon. Thats more than many offended runners who didn't.

 

[rugbdawg]

This is hysterical. I love it. I've always felt that long distance runners have some type of Napoleon complex as to their sport of choice. It may have something to do with the fact that athletic ability is not a prerequisite unless you are at the competitive/professional level.

I think Mullen accidentally struck a nerve.

 

[JacksonTiger.sixpack]

Mullen's right.

I've run a marathon as have thousands of people. So what. However, only a relatively few people on planet earth earn seven figures to coach "kids" in one of the most pressure packed sports on the planet AND, in my opinion, one of the few sports where what a coach does or does not do every second of a game can mean a win or a loss. So yeah, I believe a power 5 football coach is more mentally tough than just about everyone on the planet (other than say soldiers, world class athletes, world class coaches, crazy adventurers, presidents, etc., it's not a very big number comparatively speaking). Not sure there's any real persuasive argument against that. Coaches are freaking crazy compared to the normal person.

 

[abitadawg]

The fact that he was smiling, high-fiving alumni, and kissing his wife after 13-15 miles means he is probably more mentally tough than I am. I am usually hating the world after about half a mile.

 

[kired]

He's a cocky sob. What else is new?

A lot of runners are just pissed that he could up and decide to run Boston, while most everyone else puts years of hard work and have to run a 3 - 3.5 hour marathon (depending on age) just to qualify. I know people who've worked their butts off just to come up a few minutes slow. To put that in perspective - I'm going to say 80 - 90% of people can't run a 5k at the pace required to run a qualifying marathon.

So I can understand the outrage some runners feel towards people who don't qualify and just enter using the charity spots. But I also realize the world runs on money, and those who have it get whatever they want. Being pissed off at Mullen isn't going to change that.

 

[aTotal360]

Maybe those pissed of people should be part of a multimillion dollar Adidas deal. That would probably help their cause.

 

[Philly Dawg]

To be a successful football coach at this level, you have to be an extreme type A personality with an absurd work ethic. I think that is what he is talking about moreso than fitness.

 

[Shamoan]

im not sure how mentally tough he is but he can be head-strong like a mother 17er. still, he is a tier below croom in that respect.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Marathon runners are great people. I would give all of them a big pat on the back....if they would just get their own hands out of the way first. I imagine some runners bristled at the fact that Mullen got into the marathon without qualifying, but he finished and in a very respectable time. Still, its not like he went from couch to marathon in 4 months; he's a runner. Well, I know I have often heard him mention getting in a morning run around campus before work, so I assume he is a runner.

Its not offensive, but it is ridiculous for him to claim he has more mental toughness than 30,000 people whom he has never met. More mental toughness than the men running on prosthetic legs? More mental toughness than someone who works for an hourly wage and can only train on evenings ands weekends? More mental toughness than a successful litigation attorney who can barely find enough time to criticize Mullen on a sports message board?

I think not!

 

[LilSebastian]

I've run a marathon -- a good bit faster than him

I don't think it's offensive, but its dumb. It's not hard to run a marathon, follow the plan and do it, but he really doesn't get to compare what he did to other marathoners. An actual Boston Qualifier runs 36 miles in the time it took Dan to run 26 -- competitive runners could run two marathons with a lunch break in the amount of time it took Dan. That takes mental toughness just to get to that point, to run two times a day and 130 miles a week. Then you have to consider many runners are pushing themselves faster than he can sprint for 26 miles, and at a pace where your body starts to break down after 10 miles -- that's a mental toughness that Dan just doesn't know. Then you have to consider that at any marathon there are people who have overcome incredible circumstances/setbacks that he couldn't fathom living through -- there are people who lost their legs after running a marathon in Boston a few years, who are now running it again after overcoming incredible odds. Cool, he's a football coach, but I don't care what he has to say as a runner.

 

[AROB44]

Absolutely amazing how easy it is to offend someone today. GROW UP and get over it! Damn cry baby.

 

[ckDOG]

"Big talk from someone finishing in the bottom 15%"

That would be the least whiny and appropriate response from someone taking offense to his comments.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Until they publish every other Boston marathoner husband/wife conversation I'll reserve the right to be more offended at something that I just haven't heard yet. If he isn't an SEC football coach, this conversation is never published because his wife never gets interviewed, so I've just put more effort into thinking about it than it deserved by typing this response. #idontcarebutdocareenoughtopostaresponseapparently

 

[Rockydawg]

Until they publish every other Boston marathoner husband/wife conversation I'll reserve the right to be more offended at something that I just haven't heard yet. If he isn't an SEC football coach, this conversation is never published because his wife never gets interviewed, so I've just put more effort into thinking about it than it deserved by typing this response. #idontcarebutdocareenoughtopostaresponseapparently

EXACTLY.

 

[Dawgology]

You should mention to him that someone mentally tough probably wouldn't let a statement like that get to them....

 

[Rockydawg]

He's upset that some of his MSU friends are upset that he's upset. It's like a gosh damn fractal.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

He's a cocky sob. What else is new?

A lot of runners are just pissed that he could up and decide to run Boston, while most everyone else puts years of hard work and have to run a 3 - 3.5 hour marathon (depending on age) just to qualify. I know people who've worked their butts off just to come up a few minutes slow. To put that in perspective - I'm going to say 80 - 90% of people can't run a 5k at the pace required to run a qualifying marathon.

So I can understand the outrage some runners feel towards people who don't qualify and just enter using the charity spots. But I also realize the world runs on money, and those who have it get whatever they want. Being pissed off at Mullen isn't going to change that.

i have run many marathons and some back to back. i don't see being able to qualify for boston but wish i could. this is one reason why they have charity spots. you, me, and any turd on this site can sign up for a boston charity spot in sept without training a step. if you raise 5000 then all you have to do is pay expenses. runners get it - reward the best with the BAA best but be thankful there is an option to complete your bucket list.

 

[pmack65]

The nerve of him to run a marathon raise 40K for his charity and make an arrogant statement what's this world coming to. Should be fired****

 

[ronpolk]

He's upset that some of his MSU friends are upset that he's upset. It's like a gosh damn fractal.

Tell him to work harder to hide his ********

I'm only kidding, I get him being upset. I'm sure training to run any race is very challenging and he feels Mullen just **** on him.

 

[DerHntr]

Not disrespected at all. It sounds like Mullen was trying to convince himself before the race that he could finish it. I am certain he had to be worried he wouldn't finish and then it would be all over the news. What if he had said to his wife "if some of these people can finish it, I know I can"? I've said that many times before a race. It's not a slight to the other racers. It's a way to make the race appear doable.

Your friend needs to lighten up and remember that his every word isn't put in print like Mullen's.

 

[missouridawg]

If Mullen

Has a 26.2 sticker up on his vehicle at the office tomorrow, then we can say he is overly arrogant.

 

[KeyserSoze1999]

I think it is more about pain endurance than regular mental toughness. I used to run Cross Country, I wasn't great at it, but I can say around mile 2 or 3 most everyone starts to feel an ache in your knees and shins plus a little burning in your lungs. Good runners just block those feelings out and focus on the scenery around them and focus on overtaking the runner just ahead of them.

 

[dorndawg]

Same way dawgstudent feels after 2 or 3 plates at the buffet**

 

[mcdawg22]

I have a good friend who turned to running as a means of therapy and recovery. It's safer than any addiction (I get that), but it is another addiction to him. He is in a damn near state of outrage over the CL reporting that Dan Mullen said to his WIFE: "I'm a football coach. I'm so much more mentally tough than all these other people running the race."

Any runners here feel disrespected by that comment? Anybody know someone who found this comment to be insensitive? He's the only one I've seen so far.

I'd like to think I have enough sense to interpret the spirit and not just the letter. Clearly it was a light-hearted conversation between him and Megan. But this dude just won't shut up about it.

The same people that put a sticker on the back of their car that says look at me I can run far are bitching about braggadocio. Got it. It's almost like a bumper sticker that says I'm an honor student at run real far high.

 

[DudyDog]

I think people look for reasons and stuff to get offended about now... Mullen is certainly more mentally strong than you. Mullen has his head called for by multiple people before the end of the 1st quarter every Saturday in the fall. You got offended by a quote in the newspaper and cried about it on a message board.

Beautiful

 

[Moe Cabelle]

This is good stuff. Mullen got the chance to run a legendary race and raise a freaking tidy sum for charity. What's not to like? So what about some insignificant blurb that could be interpreted different ways.
I ran my only marathon because I wanted people to say "man, that's crazy", but I also wanted to see if I could do it. I did....and faster than coach Mullen while being a smoker.
I'll never beat anyone in a sprint, but I have learned I've got a durable body for running. I run halves at nearly the same pace as a 5k, around 8 minutes/mile. Now if I could hang on until my age group thins out... I'm hoping to snag a placement medal in the road race series one day. But too many new ******** joined up this past year and I gained 10 lbs. but I will employ my runners mental toughness and try again!

 

[Shmuley]

My post-marathon convo with the wife: "No hot beef injection for you tonight, Mama."